Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families serves a critical need, which has been highlighted by recent reported rates of combat-related stress disorders and traumatic brain injury, as well as increases in suicide rates among service members and veterans over the past decade and the distress and challenges faced by their children and families. More than 2.5 million Americans currently serve in the U.S. military on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard, and more than 20 million civilians are veterans. Although patients are viewed here in the context of military service, they seek health care in military, veteran, and civilian settings, and their mental health concerns are as diverse as those encountered in the civilian population. This book is designed for clinicians in all care settings and provides thorough coverage of U.S. military structures and cultures across the armed services, as well as detailed material on the particular mental health challenges faced by service members and their families. A full overview of the military lifestyle is provided, including the life cycle of the military (recruitment to retirement), service subcultures (Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, and Reserve and Guard components), challenges of military life for service members and families (moves, deployments, etc.), and military mental health. Material on military culture provides insight for practitioners who may not be familiar with this population.
The book focuses on collaborative care, particularly between the military health care system and the Veterans Administration, providing clinicians with strategies to mitigate stigma and other barriers to care through mental health service delivery in primary care settings. The incidence of traumatic brain injury among service members has increased because of the use of improvised explosive devices, and an entire chapter is devoted to diagnosing and treating these injuries as well as educating patients and their families on the condition.
The families of service members face significant challenges, and several chapters are devoted to the needs of military children, the families of ill and injured service members and veterans, deployment-related care, and caring for the bereaved. The book's comprehensive review of resources available to military service members, veterans, and families both ensures high-quality care and reduces the workload for treating physicians. Care of Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families is an authoritative and much-needed addition to the mental health literature. Reviews and Endorsements: "Ambitious yet effective, scholarly yet jammed with practical tools, this comprehensive manual is a must-read for anyone providing medical, mental health, or pastoral care for military service members, veterans, or their families. Its chapter authors include top leaders in thought, research, and practice, and their subjects span the entire spectrum of war-related distress and dysfunction, from physical and brain injuries to social, cultural, and spiritual challenges of many kinds. This book will be a valuable reference for many years to come."—William P. Nash, M.D., CAPT, MC, USN (Retired); Boston VA Research Institute; former director, Marine Corps Combat and Operational Stress Control programs
"From the values of military culture, to frequent moves and separations, to the stressors of the deployment cycle, Service members and their families face a unique context of influence on their well-being and mental health. This edited text brings together experts in these contextual factors and military mental health to highlight the latest science in ways that provide practical suggestions for the practitioners who serve these individuals. Armed with the knowledge in this book, clinicians will be in a much better position to ask the right questions and provide the most effective resources and support for military families."—Sonja V. Batten, Ph.D., Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences "One out of every five Americans is either a Service Member, a Veteran or a family member yet few clinicians routinely ask patients ‘Have you or someone close to you served in the military?’ This reflects provider insecurity about what to do with the answer as well as profound reticence inherent in military culture. Cozza, Goldenberg, and Ursano’s Care of Military Service Members, Veterans and Their Families, written by experts spanning the military/VA/community continuum of care, provides a field manual for taking, making sense of and acting upon a military history in clinical settings. After more than a decade of war, this book should be required reading for every health care professional in America."—Harold Kudler, M.D., Duke University, Durham, North Carolina Contents: Contributors. Preface. An introduction to military service. Health consequences of military service and combat. Understanding military families: their characteristics, strengths, and challenges. Military children and programs that meet their needs. Military health care system and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: an overview. Combat stress reactions and psychiatric disorders after deployment. Substance use disorders. Care of combat-injured service members. Traumatic brain injury. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors in military service members and veterans. Collaborative care: mitigating stigma and other barriers to care through mental health service delivery in primary care settings. Deployment-related care for military children and families. Children and families of ill and injured service members and veterans. Caring for bereaved military family members. Building resilience in military families. Index. About the Editors: Stephen J. Cozza, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry and associate director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
Matthew N. Goldenberg, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Robert J. Ursano, M.D., is director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. |
